Promise on the Pier

A Koukari fanfic

Chapter 3

Bare feet walked down the long pier, giving it a slight shake with each step. Darkness from the sky casted over the still lake with stunning stars sparkling all around the water. Once she reached the end, Kari saw the older boy sitting with his worn down laptop on his legs. He wore an orange button down with a black shirt underneath and khaki shorts. Peaking over his shoulder quietly, she leaned down and playfully whispered his ear softly, "Hey, Izzy."

Goosebumps rose on Izzy's skin as he felt his face get hotter. Without turning his head, his dark eyes glanced to the left where Kari's voice invaded his ear. His fingers instantly stopped moving on his keyboard from her presence. Too afraid to twist his head to face her, he simply muttered, "Hi, Kari..."

She giggled at his flustered reaction and walked over to the edge of the pier. With her toes curled over the edge of the wooden dock, she took a deep, needed breath of the pine air. Izzy glanced up at the girl next him. She grew a couple inches from the last year they were here. The bangs of her short, brown hair was pinned back with a bobby pin and she wore a loose yellow tank top and pink shorts. He also noticed that she had a pair of earbuds hanging from her neck.

Kari stretched her arms outwards and twisted her hip to look down at the boy. Their split second shared eye contact caused Izzy to immediately advert his eyes downward at his computer. With a heart filled sigh, she took her rightful seat to the left of him. She noticed that his feet were already soaking in the chilly water as she dipped her toes in. The ripples from the two pairs of feet collided with one another, causing complete chaos with every movement they made.

She watched as Izzy placed his laptop to the side, leaned back with both of his hands propping him up, and looked out at the tree line. From the six years they have had this tradition, he has matured a lot. She recalls the very first night where he wouldn't even put down his computer, and now, he seems like he has stepped out of his comfort zone.

She followed suit and leaned back, propping herself up with her hands. Their hands barely touched each other as she looked out at the line of pine trees and said, "Sure is peaceful tonight..."

Izzy nodded in agreement, eyes still fixated on the other side of the lake. Kari looked over at him again, watching his expressions. His face was thinner and relaxed and his red hair was shorter and less frizzy, but, for the first time in his life, Izzy seemed to be finally at peace with himself. When she realized that her gaze was held a second longer than normal, a light pink blush brushed lightly against her cheeks as she moved her gaze upward. The stars above somehow managed to amaze her more each year. She wished she could pack all of stars and stuff them in her suitcase to bring home with her.

Taking her feet out of the water below, Kari twisted her body so her back was to the boy. Izzy looked over to the girl confused and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Relax, silly. I just want a better view of the stars," she replied as she laid down, resting her head on Izzy's left leg. Izzy's back immediately stiffened from the contact. She stretched out her legs, so they were dangling off the edge of the pier and looked up at him. Even though it was dark out, the bright red tint that was scattered on his face was highly noticeable. She smiled and looked up at the stars.

She was right; she did have a better view of the starry night sky. Remembering the constellations that Izzy would point out to her every night, she whispered, "Wow... it's so beautiful..."

Izzy looked down at the girl on his lap, eyes softened and subconsciously said, "Yeah..."

Her eyes darted from one star to the other until they finally landed on the bright light in the sky she was looking for. "Hey, look! There's Venus!" Kari exclaimed in delight, pointing her finger at the planet.

Izzy looked up to where she was pointing and smiled. "Hey, yeah. You're right."

She giggled at the sight and said, "I wonder where her love Mars is..."

Izzy sighed with his arms still propping himself up. "Very soon actually..."

The two sat in silence with the sound of summer cicadas hovering in the air. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, it was just a little awkward. Kari closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Izzy glanced down at her again, noticing that a piece of her hair was out of place and covering the corner of her eye. Out of impulse, he began to reach his right hand out toward her head and delicately brushed it away.

Kari opened her eyes to the action and looked at the boy above her. "Hey, Izzy?" She curiously asked.

"Yeah?" He replied hunched over her, trying to analyze her facial expression to see what she was going to say next.

"Have you ever kissed someone?" She whispered, still maintaining her solid eye contact from his lap.

Flustered, Izzy immediately looked away. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach and he could feel his body warming up from his nervousness. "Uh... I don't know..."

"You don't know? It's a yes or no question." Her eyes narrowed as she continued to stare intensely at him.

Izzy raised his right hand and nervously scratched his cheek with his index finger. "Well then, no I guess..."

Kari rested her hands on her stomach and giggled at his response. "Interesting..." She thought long and hard for what she was going to ask next. "Sooooo... who do you have a crush on?"

He exhaled his unknowingly held breath and said, "I think you already know who it is..." He moved his gaze from the cabin lights across the lake to the fireflies fluttering around.

"Oh really? You never told me..." Kari looked down at her hands. "And here I thought you said that you never really had a hard time opening up to me," she teased, moving her eyes to him. The sight of Izzy trying to avoid her eyes made her chuckle.

"Uh... Can we not talk about this subject matter? Oh, I know... How about we both partake in a good old swim?" Izzy attempted to change the subject.

Kari's eyes narrowed, confused at his suggestion. "I thought you said that the water was unsanitary," she teased him again, thinking about what he said three years ago. "Don't try to change the subject, silly. You're very funny when you're flustered."

He crossed his arms in defense and finally looked down at her. "Well, you're the one to talk. Everyone already knows that you and T.K. Like each other, so I can't ask you the same question."

Kari looked at him confused again, this time, lifting her head up and moving herself back to her regular seated position. "Izzy, I don't have a crush on T.K."

"You... you don't?"

"Nope..."

"Oh..." was all he could say for he was in disbelief that his calculations were incorrect. He unfolded his crossed arms and looked down at his reflection, unable to say anything.

A long, awkward pause stayed in the air between them. Kari decided to break the silence. "You still up for a swim?" Izzy shook his head in response. "Okay, we can save that for another time, then."

Kari looked out at the lake with Izzy, both of their toes in the chilly water. The bright moon above them was the only light that kept them from total darkness, mapping out their silhouettes. She took a breath and said to the older boy next to her, "This scenery has always stuck in my mind since we started doing this."

With widened eyes, he turned his head toward her. He could see her pale face from the moonlight full of content and her brown eyes closed, feeling the soft summer breeze. She opened them and a small smile grew on her face. Izzy's brow scrunched inward as she turned to him.

"It reminds me of a song I listen to all the time," Kari said as she unraveled the earbuds that hung around her neck and put in one of the buds into her right ear. Pulling out her iPod, she searched for the song. Once found, she smiled bigger and handed Izzy the other earbud. "Listen."

He gently placed the earbud into his left ear and listened intensely. Before the beginning instrumental mixed with the vocals, he asked, "What is this song called, Kari?"

She looked up at him and anxiously laughed, "It's a cover song called, "Stand By Me" by the Bootstraps."

Izzy nodded his head at her response and continued to listen. The song that danced in his ear made him realize that she was right. It was about the nights they shared on this very spot. As each word passed through his ears, his heart sank again, causing him to gaze at the girl intently. She always looked like a peaceful angel. Her eyes were closed again with the warm wind brushing her hair. She had her hands on both of her sides curled over the edge of the wooden pier.

His dark eyes moved from her right hand to his left hand. The distance between them seemed to always shrink ever year. With all the courage he could gather, he lifted his left hand and delicately placed on top of hers. She didn't show any reaction to his gesture and they continued to sit in silence together until the song was over.

"Kari..."

Kari's eyes blinked open to the sound of his voice and her head turned to face him.

Eyes still fixated on their hands, his heart raced as he spoke through his dried lips. "Did you ever kiss someone?" She smiled softly and lightly shook her head. Another beat passed before he asked, "Who do you have a crush on?"

She lifted their hands and moved them until their fingers interlocked. His breath hitched when she scooted closer to him. "I think you already know who it is..." she whispered to him, sharing the same breath.

The two pairs of eyes now locked into each other, not daring to look away. With the same magnetic pull from before, their heads began to lean in until their lips met. Even though the kiss only lasted a couple seconds, it felt like forever. Eventually, Kari pulled away to look at Izzy's pink-tinted face.

She giggled and placed her head on his stiffened shoulder. "It's you, ya goof... since the very first night..."

Izzy was lost in words when he looked down at the girl. He had no idea, that for six years, she had feelings for him. Once he eventually shook himself out of his trance, he said quietly back, "I... I like you, too."

Kari gently squeezed his hand from his words and smiled. "What now?" she asked, wondering what reactions the other digidestined would have once they find out. "I mean, we've been doing this for six years... it's going to be out of the blue to them."

He inhaled deeply and said, "Well, I guess we'll find out in the morning."

Closing her tired eyes, she whispered through her smiling mouth, "Okedokey. Goodnight, Izzy."

He looked down at the girl he fell in love with and caught her contagious smile. With a gentle squeeze of his hand and and delicate kiss on the head, he quietly responded, "Goodnight, Kari."